Harrison Storms
Harrison Allen Storms, Jr. grew up in Wilmette on Chicago's North Shore during the 1920s and 1930s. His father worked as a traveling salesman while young Harrison built model airplanes and joined the local Boy Scouts. He attended Northwestern University where he graduated at the top of his class before earning a master's degree in mechanical engineering there. Storms then traveled to California to study aeronautical engineering under Theodore von Kármán at the California Institute of Technology. This academic path prepared him for a career that would eventually take him from simple model planes to complex spacecraft systems.
North American Aviation secured a major contract in 1955 when Storms successfully led their bid to design and build the X-15 rocket plane. Two years later he became chief engineer of the company's Los Angeles division. The project involved developing a high-speed research aircraft capable of reaching hypersonic speeds. Engineers tested the vehicle extensively between 1960 and 1968 with multiple test flights conducted by pilots like Scott Crossfield. The program demonstrated the viability of rocket-powered flight at extreme altitudes and velocities.
Dutch Kindelberger and Lee Atwood offered Storms leadership of North American's Missile Division in 1960. That division held only one contract for the AGM-28 Hound Dog missile at the time. On the 11th of September 1961, North American won the contract for the S-II second stage of the Saturn V rocket. They secured the Apollo spacecraft contract on the 28th of November 1961 through efforts involving marketing vice president Tom Dixon. This dual victory established what would become known as the father of Apollo role within the organization.
Storms' management team called themselves the Storm Troopers during the early 1960s expansion period. Members included Harold Raynor, Dr. Robert Laidlaw, John Paup, Charlie Feltz, Bill Snelling, Dale Myers, Norm Ryker Jr., Scott Crossfield, Frank Compton, Lloyd Harriott, Earl Blount, and medical director Dr. Henry Swift. Employment numbers jumped from 7,000 to 14,000 employees in just six months during 1962. Storms became president of the newly formed Space and Information Systems Division while overseeing this rapid workforce growth across multiple locations.
NASA's Apollo program director Samuel C. Phillips sent a tiger team to investigate delays at North American Aviation in late 1965. Critical reports documented cost overruns and delivery problems that reached NASA superiors and company president Lee Atwood by early 1966. Spacecraft CSM-011 faced one-month flight delays after delivery to Cape Kennedy in 1966. Problems with S-II stages and CSM-017 delayed the first Saturn V test flight until November 1967. Electrical wiring issues and ethylene glycol plumbing faults contributed to a fire on the 27th of January 1967 that killed astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee.
NASA Administrator James Webb demanded either Lee Atwood or Harrison Storms resign following the Apollo 1 tragedy. Atwood chose to reassign Storms to the Los Angeles division instead of removing him entirely from the company. Company employees reacted with anger when news spread through the plant where he was known simply as Stormy. Secretary workers and telephone operators wept while riveters and welders expressed outrage at his removal. Storms never returned to aerospace work after this political decision ended his career in the industry.
Screenwriter Mike Gray profiled Storms in his 1992 book titled Angle of Attack which Publishers Weekly called Indiana Jones and the Engineering Mission of Destiny. The HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon featured actor James Rebhorn playing Storms' character role. Stephen Baxter's alternate history novel Voyage included a character named J. K. Lee who combined elements of both Storms and Tom Kelly. These cultural portrayals preserved Storms' story despite his death in obscurity on the 11th of July 1992 after decades of public service.
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Common questions
Who was Harrison Storms and what did he do?
Harrison Allen Storms, Jr. was an American aeronautical engineer who graduated from Northwestern University before earning a master's degree in mechanical engineering there. He later studied under Theodore von Kármán at the California Institute of Technology to prepare for designing complex spacecraft systems.
When did North American Aviation win the Saturn V contract for Harrison Storms?
North American won the contract for the S-II second stage of the Saturn V rocket on the 11th of September 1961. They secured the Apollo spacecraft contract shortly after on the 28th of November 1961 through efforts involving marketing vice president Tom Dixon.
What happened during the Apollo 1 fire that killed Gus Grissom Ed White and Roger Chaffee?
Electrical wiring issues and ethylene glycol plumbing faults contributed to a fire on the 27th of January 1967 that killed astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. This tragedy led NASA Administrator James Webb to demand either Lee Atwood or Harrison Storms resign following the incident.
How many employees worked for Harrison Storms' division in 1962?
Employment numbers jumped from 7,000 to 14,000 employees in just six months during 1962 under Harrison Storms management team known as the Storm Troopers. Storms became president of the newly formed Space and Information Systems Division while overseeing this rapid workforce growth across multiple locations.
When did Harrison Storms die and how was he remembered?
Harrison Storms died in obscurity on the 11th of July 1992 after decades of public service. His story was preserved by screenwriter Mike Gray in his 1992 book titled Angle of Attack and actor James Rebhorn playing his character role in the HBO miniseries From the Earth to the Moon.